152. Aren’t You Glad You Use Dial? DIAL SOAP, 1961-1978

DIAL SOAP PRINT AD, ca. 1978-1979

DIAL Soap was available in the Philippines as early as the late, distributed by Corona Bazar, with offices at Rizal venue. The bath soap had been developed by a meat-packing company which had originally produced soap since 1888—Armour and Co.. DIAL, with its antibacterial hexachlorophene that promised to protect “round-the-clock”, was  introduced in Chicago in 1948. B

DIAL was rolled out nationally in 1949, and by 1953 was a market leader in America. Six years after, it found its way to the Philippines to a warm, receptive market. It came in packed foils of Gold, Pink and Aqua, and the front panel features a “clock” illustration to visualize its all-day deodorant protection.

DIAL PRINT ADS, Sunday Times Magazine, Apr. 1961

By 1961, the first print ads of DIAL were seen on local weekend magazines, featuring the same ads in U.S. publications that showed male and women models under a shower. It was one of the first products to have standardized campaign around the world, using the thematic line “Aren’t you glad you use DIAL?”. The tagline, created by Foote Cone & Belding (FCB),  first appeared in the product’s 1953 ads, and was used all the way to the 2000s, making it one of the world’s most enduring campaigns responsible for its global success.

LISTEN TO THE DIAL JINGLE ARRANGED

BY JOSE MARI CHAN FOR THE PHILIPPINES

All throughout the 60s, DIAL was promoted on primetime evening TV,within the program, “Not for Hire”, aired on Channel 3. It reached its peak in the 1970s when even superstar Nora Aunor, agreed to appear and sing the DIAL jingle in a TV commercial produced by Basic/FCB. It was major casting coup for the brand. The premium product expanded its appeal to common consumers because of the pulling power of Aunor’s campaign.

WATCH DIAL SOAP 1978-79 TVC HERE:

DIAL was actively advertised all through the 1970s, such as this one, featuring model Pilar Zaragoza. By the 1990s, its popularity waned as other new alternatives came to fore, and Safeguard managed its hold on the germicidal soap market.

Today, DIAL Soaps are no longer produced in the Philippines, but imported ones can be had in specialty shops and can be ordered online.

CREDITS:

youtube, Dial Soap Classic Philippine TVC (1979), uploaded by ADman 1909, uploaded Jul. 2007,